Science Magazine Podcast

Liquid water on Mars, athletic performance in transgender women, and the lost colony of Roanoke

Released: Jul 26, 2018

Billions of years ago, Mars probably hosted many water features: streams, rivers, gullies, etc. But until recently, water detected on the Red Planet was either locked up in ice or flitting about as a gas in the atmosphere. Now, researchers analyzing radar data from the Mars Express mission have found evidence for an enormous salty lake under the southern polar ice cap of Mars. Daniel Clery joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss how the water was found and how it can still be liquid[linkTK]—despite temperatures and pressures typically inhospitable to water in its liquid form.

Sarah also talks with science journalist Katherine Kornei about her story on changing athletic performance after gender transition[linkTK]. The feature profiles researcher Joanna Harper on the work she has done to understand the impacts of hormone replacement therapy and testosterone levels in transgender women involved in running and other sports. It turns out within a year of beginning hormone replacement therapy, transgender women plateau at their new performance level and stay in a similar rank with respect to the top performers in the sport. Her work has influenced sports oversight bodies like the International Olympic Committee.

Liquid water on Mars, athletic performance in transgender women, and the lost colony of Roanoke : On this week’s show: Radar readings from Mars suggest a large lake of water under one of the polar ice caps, how gender transition affects an athlete’s physiology and performance, and Andrew Lawler’s book The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the S